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Nemours Childrens Primary Care Achieves National Certification

as a Patient-Centered Medical Home

Sandy HermanFriday, Apr 21, 2017

Nemours Children’s Primary Care has been awarded national certification as a Patient-Centered Medical Home in recognition of the high quality patient-centered and evidence-based care it provides to its patients. A Patient-Centered Medical Home is not a place, but rather a model of health care designed to improve how care is delivered. Within a Patient-Centered Medical Home care is delivered not just by an individual physician, but by a team of health professionals. Care is relationship-based and coordinated to meet each child’s physical and mental health needs, with a special focus on prevention and wellness, acute care and chronic care. Families are an important part of the care team and are involved in all decisions about a child’s health. The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) determined that all 14 of Nemours Children’s Primary Care practices in central Florida meet AAAHC’s strict standards for being certified as a Patient-Centered Medical Home.

"When we established the Nemours Children’s Primary Care network five years ago, we were determined to provide the highest level of care for central Florida children and create an environment in which families are part of all decisions related to the health of their child," said Dr. Thomas Lacy, medical director of Nemours Children’s Primary Care. "As part of the only health system in central Florida dedicated exclusively to the care of children, we had ideas about how to better meet the needs of our young patients and their families. Being certified as a Patient-Centered Medical Home is rewarding validation that we are on the right track."

Ambulatory health care organizations seeking certification by AAAHC undergo an extensive assessment and rigorous on-site survey by physicians, nurses, and administrators who are experts in the field of ambulatory health care. While some organizations label themselves a medical home, not all undergo the rigorous on-site survey process and are granted certification.

"Starting Nemours Children’s Primary Care allowed us to build a children’s health network geared to the needs of today’s families. Achieving certification as a Patient-Centered Medical Home confirms we are delivering on our promise to families," noted Dr. Lacy.

About the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, founded in 1979, is the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation with more than 6,000 organizations accredited nationwide. AAAHC accredits a variety of organizations including, ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery centers, endoscopy centers, student health centers, military health care clinics, and large medical and dental practices. AAAHC serves as an advocate for the provision of high-quality health care through the development of nationally recognized standards and through its survey and accreditation programs. AAAHC accreditation is recognized as a symbol of quality by third-party payers, medical organizations, liability insurance companies, state and federal agencies and the public.

About Nemours

Nemours is an internationally recognized children's health system that owns and operates the two free-standing children’s hospitals: the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla., along with outpatient facilities in five states, delivering pediatric primary, specialty and urgent care. Nemours also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, KidsHealth.org, and offers on-demand, online video patient visits through Nemours CareConnect. Nemours ReadingBrightstart.org is a program dedicated to preventing reading failure in young children, grounded in Nemours’ understanding that child health and learning are inextricably linked, and that reading level is a strong predictor of adult health.

Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, Nemours provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy and prevention programs to families in the communities it serves.